In the Footsteps of Paul: Day 10, Tuesday, March 3rd

Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis

We were up early to drive across the majestic Taurus Mountains for the fifth and final time, to visit three sites in western Anatolia.  Our first stop was Colossae, the church that received Paul's "Letter to the Colossians".  Paul did not found this church.  Colossae, like Laodicea and Hierapolis, was founded by Epaphras, sent by Paul from the city of Ephesus (Colossians 1:7, 4:12-13).  All that remains of ancient Colossae is a huge tel, looking like a butte or mesa under which the city is buried.

The Colossae Tel.

We climbed to the top of the tel, and in spite of misty weather, we had magnificent 360 degree view of the fertile valley all around us, dotted with orchards and fields of grazing sheep.

Climbing the Colossae Tel.

On top, we received a teaching on the Letter to the Colossians, focusing on three "C's" that capture Paul's great themes : Christology, Continuance, and Community.  No letter in the New Testament has a higher Christology than Colossians; "For in Christ all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell." (Colossians 1:19)  Paul called on the Colossians to live in fidelity to God's will; "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him." (Colossians 2:6)  He ends the letter with a call for the Colossians to honor God by loving one another;  "Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Colossians 3:14)

Teaching Paul's Letter to the Colossians

The pilgrims on top of the Colossae Tel.

We then drove a short distance to the neighboring ancient site of Laodicea, which was a major and very wealthy Roman city.   Unlike Colossae, Laodicea is one of Turkey's great archeological triumphs, with major excavation work having been accomplished in the last decade.  There is a lost letter from Paul to the Laodiceans. (Colossians 4:16)  But the church's primary place in the New Testament is the Book of Revelation, where the Apostle John has a vision in which he quotes the heavenly Jesus declaring to the Laodiceans, "I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish that you were either cold or hot.  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16)  Like Jesus, John uses a metaphor local and familiar to his listeners--aqueducts brought hot water from the nearby thermal springs of Hierapolis, and cold water from Colossae, both mixing together in Laodicea to form lukewarm water.  Jesus' message is clear: Christians are to not to be lukewarm, but passionately committed to the gospel message of faith and ministry.

Pilgrims on the Roman road in Laodicea.

Toward the city agora (public market) at Laodicea.

The Temple of Zeus.

Teaching in front of the terracotta water pipes of the aqueduct.

The third Roman city, Hierapolis, was also nearby.  It was a famous Roman spa, with hot, healing thermal baths drawing the wealthy from all over the empire.

The thermal waters.

The white cascade (crystalized minerals) flowing down into a thermal pool.

Hierapolis was also the traditional site of the martyrdom of the Apostle Philip, who was crucified there in the year 80AD.  The site of Philip's death (called the Martyrium) was a major pilgrimage site in the early Church.

Philip's Martyrium in the distance.

Philip's four daughters remained in the region and became significant prophets in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries.  Also of note, the second Bishop of Hierapolis was Papias, a disciple of the Apostle John, who was important in leading the transition from the Apostolic to Episcopal era of the Church.

Late in the day we arrived at our hotel in Hierapolis, to discover it boasted several thermal pools for its guests' enjoyment.